Turning Green With Architecture
by Jessica Groachjessica.groach@interiordesignschoolreview.com
Interior Design School Review Columnist
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that if building tenants incorporate building strategies that cut energy use by 30%, they can actually save 50-cents per square foot on their power bills every year.
It makes good financial sense to build green architecture. After all, buildings represent 70% of U.S. consumption of electricity, 12.2% of all potable water, and 40% of all raw materials. The greenhouse effect is no longer speculation; it's a proven scientific fact.
Now, the U.S. Green Building Council has developed a voluntary standards and certification program that defines high-performance green buildings, which are more environmentally responsible, healthier, and more profitable structures. They have lower operating costs, greater energy efficiency, higher lease rates, and happier, healthier occupants due to improved air quality and greater amounts of natural light. The certification program is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, and as green architecture becomes more the standard, LEED-certified architects are going to be in ever-increasing demand in the United States. Already, the city of Seattle has adopted the LEED program, and is incorporating its standards in all of its new buildings, programs, and facilities.
LEED-certification, however, is still not widespread. The majority of architecture programs don't offer it. It's the job of architects to become certified on their own and be able to offer this added value to their clients. LEED-certification can be achieved through attending a series of workshops that culminate in an intensive examination. Unfortunately, of today's approximately 113,000 practicing architects in the United States, only about 21,000 of them are LEED certified. Opportunities abound for professionals trained to design green architecture. Check into LEED-certified architecture - you could have a very profitable, and gratifying career ahead of you.
Sources
- "Architect", Bureau of Labor Statistics
- US Green Building Council's "Green Building Fact Sheet, November 2005"
- LEED Facts", U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org
- "LEED and the landscape architect" by Susan Black, Landscape Northwest
About the Author
Jessica Groach is a freelance writer, and writing instructor at the University of Nevada, Reno. Her background includes seven years in media, advertising and public relations. Her work has appeared in various lifestyle and business publications, including a Warner Business Book.
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